~ Day by day with RA …

Surgery, T+5 Days

First of all, most if not all of the things I was afraid of have proven to be non events. I have very little pain. However, I was not expecting just the overall weakness that I feel. I guess I concentrated too much on the details of the hip surgery and not enough on the overall effect of the major surgery to my system. I hate having to be dependent on someone for the little things like getting in and out of bed. But that small act determines when and how I do things.

Yesterday my friend Pat came to babysit. My husband had business meetings all afternoon, so she came over to keep me company. We basically propped up and watched movies. It was nice to have a girlfriend around and I’m sure Jack enjoyed the time off.

I can tell I’m getting stronger. I can turn over in bed by myself (sort of) which is a big deal when you’re pretty much confined. I was going to sit at the table and eat breakfast this morning, just to get a different set of muscles and pressure points in play, but Jack convinced me that I needed to save my strength to make it through the shower process. And it is a process, but one that is working pretty well.

My brother comes in tomorrow and will be here until Friday. I don’t think he’s expecting the amount of help that I need, but then neither was I. We’ll work it out. He’s the right guy to give me some space to work things out. Jack takes really good care of me, but sometimes he can be a bit overprotective.

My physical therapist comes on Monday. I can tell already it’s a match made in hell. We’re not going to get along. He doesn’t sound like he can tell a patella from a pilsner. We’ll see. Dealing with a health care system is not fun when you’re feeling well. Dealing with it when you feel like limp lettuce is awful.

That’s all I know. As they said in the old Pink Panther movies. Every day in every way we’re getting better.